Hey, I'm A Kind Person

"Yeah, this shit's good." I looked at the food.

"What did I say?" Mark chuckled.

Eve smirked, taking a bite of her own food. "See? This is why you don't get to pick, Kaito."

I scoffed, shoving another bite into my mouth. "Okay, okay, I might have underestimated your food-choosing skills. But, fuck you mean I don't get to pick? I have better taste buds than you."

Mark grinned. "Damn right, you did. And no, you're a sore tongue."

We were sitting at a small, hole-in-the-wall diner downtown, one of those places that looked run-down on the outside but served absolute fire food. The kind of spot only locals knew about. The place had this warm, greasy smell—like grilled meat and fried everything. Perfect post-fight meal.

"Yeah, I gotta go." I told them. 

"What happened?" Eve asked.

"Oh, nothing. Everything's fine but uh, I'm feeling real sleepy, alright?"

Eve raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. You sure you're not just ditching the check?"

Mark smirked. "Classic Kaito move."

"First of all, fuck you. Second of all, fuck you. Third of all—I'm actually tired. Fighting dumbasses all day drains a guy, y'know? And fourth of all, I'm richer than both of you and your family combined, there's no need for me to ditch the check. But I don't want to pay for your bullshit, even if the food is aight, and fifth of all, did I mention FUCK YOU?!"

Eve chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Go get your beauty sleep, princess."

I stood up, stretching. "Damn right, I will. Enjoy the inhaling food session without me."

"Hey~ Why are you guys fighting?" Mark interrupted.

Eve shot him a look, mid-bite. "We're not fighting. This is just how we communicate."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Y'all call this communication?"

I smirked. "Damn right. This is top-tier, high-level, intellectual conversation."

Eve pointed her fork at me. "Yeah, only an idiot like you would think trash talk counts as intellectual."

Mark shook his head with a laugh. "Man, y'all are weird."

I grabbed my jacket, but that nagging feeling crept up again. Something was off. I casually glanced around the diner, pretending to check my phone. The usual crowd—nothing suspicious.

Still, my instincts weren't wrong.

"Anyway, I'm out. Don't choke on your food while talking shit."

Eve waved me off. "Later, dumbass."

Mark mockingly wiped a tear. "We'll miss you, bro."

Then I felt it again.

That feeling. The kind that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Like someone was watching me.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and started walking, keeping my steps casual. If someone was tailing me, I'd find out soon enough.

The sounds of the city seemed... off. A little too quiet, like the usual background noise had faded just enough for me to notice. I glanced at my reflection in a darkened store window, checking if anyone was behind me. Nothing. Just the neon lights bouncing off the glass.

Still, my instincts weren't wrong.

Then, movement. A shift in the skyline. My eyes flicked up toward a nearby rooftop. A figure stood there, hoodie up, face shadowed under the dim glow of a flickering sign. At first, I thought he was just some random graffiti artist, but then I saw what he was painting.

I quickly flew onto the building, disabling gravity. I looked at the floor.

'LAWBREAKER'.

Then, I looked at the guy, who was intently staring at me. 

"What do you want?" I asked him.

"I need your help, Lawbreaker." He told me.

"That's fine and all, but don't you know that I don't really fly a lot? You're kinda stupid."

The guy didn't react, just kept staring at me like I was supposed to already know what the hell he was talking about. His hoodie was pulled up, shadowing his face, but I could see a faint smirk.

"You came up here pretty fast," he noted. "Didn't even hesitate."

I crossed my arms. "Yeah, and? You were writing my name on a rooftop like a damn Bat-Signal. What, you expect me to ignore that?"

He chuckled. "Fair point. But I didn't put that there. I just found it."

That made me pause. I glanced back down at the painted letters—LAWBREAKER. It wasn't sloppy, wasn't random. It was clean and intentional. Someone wanted me to see it.

I looked back at him. "Alright, Hoodie Guy, start talking. Who the hell are you, and why do you need my help?"

"And I'm—" I stopped as I glanced at his face.

"Titan?" I muttered. 

"Where the fuck did you come from? I thought you were in jail. Y'know, a few days ago, I caught your ass doing some bullshit."

Titan smirked, lowering his hood. His face was still bruised from our last fight, but he looked... calm. Too calm.

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "jail's got a pretty shitty security system when you know the right people."

I narrowed my eyes. "So what, you break out just to do some street art and call my name? Bold move for a guy who got his ass handed to him last time."

Titan chuckled. "Yeah, well, desperate times, Lawbreaker. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't serious."

"What happened?"

"I need your help to take down my boss." He told me.

"Your boss? Who's he?" I asked him.

"Machine Head."

I stared at Titan for a second, then let out a sharp laugh. "The fuck are you on? I'm not gonna help you with some villain of the week."

"Come on, you do team-ups now, right? Not like back then, when you were going solo? You teamed up with Atom Eve, right?" He asked me.

"Eve's hot, that's different."

Titan blinked. "What?"

I shrugged. "What do you want me to say? There's a big difference between teaming up with gorgeous redhead and you, a dude who I literally beat the shit out of like, what, last week?"

Titan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're impossible."

"And you still haven't given me a good reason to care. Like, what's in it for me? Why should I stick my neck out for you?"

"Not for me, for the people."

"huh?"

"Machine Head runs this city, and if it's illegal, it's his." He told me.

"Oh, I know Machine Head, but I never thought he was actually worth any effort."

Titan scoffed. "That's exactly the problem. Everyone thinks he's just some glorified crime boss, but he's got real power, Kaito. Do you know how many people he's got in his pocket? Cops, politicians, and even some heroes. If you think he's just some small-time crook, you're dead wrong."

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Alright, fine. Let's say I do believe you. That still doesn't explain why I should care. Why not get some of those so-called heroes to help? Or better yet, Invincible? The dude lives for punching bad guys. And he's right down there."

I saw Eve and Mark come out of the shop, before flying straight towards us.

"What happened here, Kaito? I thought you were 'real sleepy'." Eve asked me, sarcasm evident in her tone.

"I am, but being the kind hero that I am, I stopped to look at this dude's problems."

I motioned toward Titan. "Ask him. Apparently, I'm about to risk my very important sleep schedule to help take down Machine Head."

Eve's expression immediately turned serious. "Machine Head? Who's he?"

"Oh, he's no one. He just runs this city."

"What?"

"You probably never heard of him, but I know him. He himself doesn't have a lot of power. But his assistant, a teleporter of a kind is quite troublesome but nothing we can't solve."

"So, what's the problem?"

"Listen, you help me take him down, you help people and save lives. Isn't that your entire point?"

"Well, Invincible here is new to the job, take him with you, he'll get some experience, okay? And don't worry, he is much stronger than you might think.

"So, you're volunteering Mark for this? Damn, didn't even ask him."

Mark blinked. "Wait, huh?"

I smirked. "You were gonna say yes anyway."

Mark sighed. "I mean... yeah, but still."

Titan folded his arms. "Invincible, huh? I've heard about you. You're strong."

Mark scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess so."

I rolled my eyes. "Understatement of the century. He's strong as hell, but he's still got that 'rookie hero' energy. Always acting surprised when he punches through a building."

Mark frowned. "That happened once—"

"Twice," I corrected.

"Okay, but—"

"And you still apologized to the building."

Eve snickered.

Titan cut in. "Alright, alright, I get it. Kid's strong, you're an asshole, and Eve's the only responsible one here."

Eve smirked. "Finally, someone with sense."

Titan turned to me. "So, are we doing this or not?"

I let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Fine. But if I get bored, I'm leaving. Eve, you don't need to come, I'll have like a solo coaching session."

Titan gave a sharp nod. "Good. Meet me today, evening. I'll have more details then."

"Yeah, okay," I told him. "Oi! If there's a catch or something like you betraying us, be aware, I will kill you this time.

Titan didn't even flinch at my words. He just gave me a small, knowing smirk. "Not planning on it. But I'll keep that in mind."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the night, dropping down the side of the building like it was nothing. I watched him go, my arms still crossed, my gut still telling me that this was going to be more trouble than it was worth.

I sighed. "Well, shit."

Eve placed a hand on her hip. "You sure about this?"

"Not at all," I admitted. "But if he's right and Machine Head's really got this much control, it's gonna be a pain in the ass down the road anyway."

Mark cracked his knuckles. "Guess that means we're in, then. This could be big."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get too excited," I muttered. "We'll hear him out. If this turns out to be a waste of time, I'm out."

Eve studied my face for a moment. "...Just be careful, alright?"

I smirked. "Don't worry, there's nothing on this planet that holds a threat to me."

Eve rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't come crying to me when you get your ass kicked."

Mark grinned. "Not that we'd ever hear the end of it if he did."

I scoffed. "If I ever lose at any cost, it's because I let them win."

Eve crossed her arms. "Mhm. Keep telling yourself that, Mr. Invincible 2.0."

"2.0? If anything, I'm the OG." I pointed.

"Sure." She told me.

"Anyways, our target is in that building, in the middle of the city, it is pretty distinctive. Meet in the opposite building to the west, at 6:30." He told us.

"Okay."

Later That Evening…

The city stretched below me. I sat on the edge of a rooftop, one knee up, my fingers tapping against my thigh. "Hey, Mark. That's the building he told us about, right?" I pointed.

"That's about right, it's pretty tall, don't you think?" He told me.

"I guess," I responded.

I felt a gentle tap behind me, "Oh, Titan, you're finally here." 

"There's our boy on the top floor, right?"

"Yes." 

I shook my head slowly, "I'm not coming, I'll be here. Mark, I expect you to get the job done quickly. If you need help, don't worry. I'll be there."

Titan glanced at Mark. "You ready for this?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah. Let's get this over with."

I, on the other hand, hovered a few buildings away, arms crossed as I watched them move. Titan had insisted I come along, but I had zero plans of diving in headfirst like some reckless dumbass.

"Hey, you guys have fun," I called out. "I'll jump in if things get really bad."

Titan just gave me a look but didn't argue.

"GO!" Titan shouted as he jumped at the windows of the top floor, where Machine Head was supposed to be. BOOM, they broke through the glass like melted sugar.

"Great entrance, Mark!" I shouted.

I watched as they each took a guy down, intercepting them with brute force, but efficiently. Wonder where Mark learned that, maybe Nolan.

Machine Head sat at his desk, completely unbothered, his chrome-plated head reflecting the city lights pouring in through the broken window. The moment Mark and Titan landed inside, he let out a distorted chuckle.

"Machine Head," Titan called out.

"Get up, I'm taking you in," Mark told Machine Head.

"Oh, you idiots," he said smoothly, voice glitching as his processors whirred. He continued with his paperwork.

"HEY! It's over, you're way out of your league." Mark slammed his palms on Machine Head's table.

"Yeah, you're right, you're so strong and tough, and you- you fly all over the goddamn place, it's amazing!" He exclaimed.

 "Uh... thanks?" Mark? What the fuck are you doing?

"Wait... no way you saw this coming," Titan told him.

"Aw~ Is that what you think? See, this is what happens when your head's a fucking rock." He told Titan. His assistant teleported beside him.

"This little upgrade shows me all kinds of possibilities," He pointed to his head. "Which is how I know that it is not worth explaining to you two morons, what quantum probabilities are, but it doesn't matter like Invincible said, I'm out of my league." He paused. "Except, I've got money!" 

His assistant teleported six people, contract killers? 

"Oh shit!" Mark shouted.

Yeah... should I help? I'll just wait a bit."

Mark clenched his fists as the six hired killers sized them up. Each one looked dangerous as hell—experienced, confident, and definitely not the type to hesitate in a fight. Titan cracked his knuckles, already shifting his stance.

Machine Head leaned back in his chair, completely unfazed. "Oh, don't mind me, boys. I'm just here for the show. And trust me, the odds?" He tapped the side of his chrome skull. "Not in your favor."

Mark shot a glance at Titan. "Uh… you recognize any of these guys?"

Titan gritted his teeth. "Yeah. And that's not a good thing."

One of the killers stepped forward—a hulking, armored beast of a guy with glowing red cybernetic arms. Battle Beast. [I'mma just call him that but Kaito doesn't know his name, yet.]

"Oh, hell no," Titan muttered.

Mark frowned. "Wait… who's—?"

BOOM!

Battle Beast moved like a blur, closing the distance in an instant and smashing his fist into Mark's gut. The impact sent Mark crashing through a wall, debris exploding everywhere.

"MARK!" Titan called out, but he had his own problems—three more assassins lunged at him.

I sighed from my vantage point a few buildings away. "Yeah… alright, that's bad."

Mark groaned, pushing himself up from the rubble. "Dude, what the hell?!"

Battle Beast cracked his neck. "You are unworthy of my time."

Mark coughed. "Yeah? Well, fuck you." He shot forward, throwing a punch straight at Battle Beast's face. The hit landed clean, but the guy barely flinched. Instead, he grinned.

And then, he swung back.

I watched as Mark went flying again, this time straight through another wall. I had to admit, the kid had heart. Stupid, rookie heart. But heart nonetheless.

Titan wasn't faring much better. He fought like hell, taking on three opponents at once, but it was clear he was outmatched. One of them, some guy with electric whips, caught Titan around the arm and yanked him into a brutal knee strike.

Machine Head let out a distorted laugh. "Oh, this is delicious."

Mark staggered back into the fight, wiping blood from his lip. "Okay… that was a warm-up." He looked at Battle Beast. "Round two, asshole." But just then, he coughed up blood onto the floor, wheezing.

I exhaled slowly. "Alright. That's enough."

I floated off my perch and started drifting toward the building. Time to end this before it got out of hand.

Battle Beast raised his weapon, ready to bring it down on Mark—

But I appeared behind him in an instant, grabbing his arm mid-swing.

The whole room went still.

"Alright, big guy," I said casually. "That's enough playing around."

Battle Beast's expression shifted slightly—curiosity? Interest? That was rare. He turned his head, looking at me over his shoulder. "Hmm… You are different."

I tightened my grip on his arm, and he actually winced. "Yeah, yeah. Save the analysis for later."

And then, without warning, I threw him. 

"Not so strong are you?" I asked him. 

"Oi! Machine Head, why're you getting so cocky, huh? This wasn't one of the probabilities?"

"Oh, it was! I just didn't expect it would happen." He gritted. 

"Now that I'm here, let me demonstrate the rest of the result." I announced, smirking.

[Battle Beast Vs Kaito?! Are you ready for this BS?]